1. Field of the Invention
In general, the present invention relates to specialized carry bags. More particularly, the present invention relates to carry bags that are specialized for use when walking a dog or similar pet.
2. Prior Art Description
Many pet owners live in neighborhoods and communities where they are required to walk their pets on property that is not their own. For example, people who live in cities have little choice but to walk their pets on public streets and/or in public parks.
Many municipalities have ordinances that require pet owners to clean up the waste excreted by their pets if such waste is not on the pet owner's land. It is for this reason that many pet owners carry plastic bags with them as they walk their pets. Should a pet create waste, the pet owner scoops the waste into the plastic bag and carries the plastic bag to the nearest trash receptacle. The problem is that trash receptacles are not always available. As a result, a pet owner is often required to carry the bag full of waste for substantial periods of time before that bag can be discarded.
Carrying bags of pet waste for any period of time is both unpleasant and potentially unsanitary. Low quality plastic bags are often used to pick up and hold waste. The most common bag selected for the job is a recycled plastic grocery bag. Such bags often have small holes in them that make it impossible to hermetically seal the waste. As such, bags of pet waste inevitably smell and can be the sources of fecal contamination and diseases carried by fecal contamination.
Recognizing that it is unsightly, unpleasant and potentially harmful to carry bags filled with pet waste, carry bags have been created in the prior art that are designed to hold filled bags of pet waste. Such prior art devices are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,737 to Ringelstetter, entitled Sanitary Animal Waste Collection Holder, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,257,473 to Ringelstetter, entitled Sanitary Collection Holder For Animal Waste. Such prior art bags disclose traditional shoulder-strap carry bags. Filled bags of pet waste are placed inside the carry bags and the bags are closed. In this manner, the bags of waste are out of sight and are less likely to be smelled. However, as has been previously mentioned, pet waste is often picked up using low quality grocery bags. Such bags are not sanitary and enable fecal contamination to seep to the exterior of the bag. This fecal contamination is then transferred to the interior surfaces of the carry bag as the bag is agitated. The result is a carry bag having an interior contaminated with fecal bacteria. These bacteria will contaminate anything and everything placed inside the carry bag, even after the pet waste is removed. The result is that the carry bag is unsafe to use for carrying dog leashes, extra bags, pet treats, or any of the many other items a pet owner may bring on a walk.
A need therefore exists for a carry bag for a pet owner, that enables a pet owner to collect, store and conceal bags of pet waste, without contaminating the interior of the carry bag. This need is met by the present invention assembly as described and claimed below.